


Friendly Nightmares

by Cumberbatch Critter (ivelostmyspectacles)



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Halloween, Ichabod discovering BDSM novels because that's note-worthy :p, Movie Night, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 08:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2541242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/Cumberbatch%20Critter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Does he ever develop a relationship with Miss Sally?"</p><p>"Huh?"</p><p>"Mr. Skellington," Ichabod clarified. "Does he eventually realize that Miss Sally holds him in the most dearest regard?"</p><p>[Happy Sleepy Hollow-een!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendly Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> Another piece I've been meaning to write, and now that it's Halloween, I put the movie on and got to work. :p So, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
> 
> I do not own _Sleepy Hollow_ or _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ (Disney). Thanks for reading!

"Does he ever develop a relationship with Miss Sally?"

Abbie covered her mouth to stifle her yawn. "Huh?" It wasn't that she wasn't paying attention, that she didn't care, or that she didn't like the movie. She _was_ paying attention - more or less -, she was happy for his company, and _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ still remained to be one of her favorite movies, damn whoever said it was a kid's movie. She was just tired. It had been a long day, and her sofa was too comfortable. She couldn't count how many times she'd fallen asleep on it, only to then, of course, wake up with a crick in her neck.

"Mr. Skellington," Ichabod clarified, pointing to the skeleton on the TV screen. "Does he eventually realize that Miss Sally holds him in the most dearest regard?"

"Crane, the movie's only half over. Give it a chance before I spoil it for you." Abbie rolled her eyes with a grin as Ichabod nodded in agreement. "We don't have to watch this if you don't want to. If you want to head back..."

Ichabod looked away from the TV again. "If you wish to return me home, I won't dissuade you. However... I'm quite interested to see what happens in this film." He leaned forward slightly, resting his head on his chin with his elbow propped up on his knee.

Abbie raised her eyebrows. "Wait, you actually _like_ this movie?"

Ichabod tilted his head to look at her. "Yes," he replied, quizzically. "Don't you?"

"Well, yeah, of course _I_ do, I turned it on."

"It's... how do you say... ‘cute’?" Ichabod's eyebrows were drawn together; Abbie wasn't sure if that was the word he'd been looking for to begin with, but she laughed, anyway.

"Yeah, it's cute. Most people I know don't like it, though. They say it's immature, or whatever." She sank a little lower on the sofa, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "I like it."

"I believe it's most quaint." Crane looked back at the movie as the characters edged into song again. "Albeit slightly strange, if you'll forgive me saying."

Abbie waved his statement off. "Hey, I don't care. Like I said, most people I know don't like it. Jenny watched it with me, like, once when we were kids. We couldn't watch this stuff around mom because she'd go off, talking about burning in hell for watching this macabre stuff." She shrugged. "I don't like horror movies, haven't since we got lost in the woods. This is about my limit for Halloween movies." Just as she was speaking, Jack laughed on-screen, in the midst of the town building Christmas for him. She couldn't help but grin.

Her smile was contagious, supposedly, because Ichabod grinned at the same time. "He is a most amusing fellow," he said gently.

"He's got one hell of a laugh," Abbie agreed. She wiggled into a more comfortable position, closing her eyes briefly.

"I do have a feeling that he ought not to have stolen... Santa Claus's holiday, though. I fear he will have much trouble with a holiday that does not involve scaring others." Ichabod sounded contemplative.

Abbie smiled faintly without opening her eyes. "Uh huh... Every movie has to have its moral."

"Indeed, Lieutenant."

Abbie yawned again. She'd just rest her eyes for a few minutes.

 

 

The next time she opened her eyes, the house was silent. Every one of her senses shot to high alert and then unravelled slowly. Her house was hardly ever silent. And Crane had been here the last time she had known...

Abbie blinked hard and realized her pillow was green. Strange. Her pillow wasn't usually green. Actually, this green looked like the green of the shirt that Crane had been wearing.

Abbie sat up so fast that her head spun.

She'd been using Crane's shoulder for a pillow. She had fallen asleep after inviting her to her house for drinks and a movie, and she had fallen asleep using his shoulder as a pillow.

Ichabod glanced over at her. "You're awake." He slipped a bookmark into a book he was holding. The bookmark that he had gotten her, brown leather, with her last name burned into the fabric, as a gift and a book that had been sitting on her coffee table - was he reading that romance book she had picked out for herself for that late night read? How embarrassing. He smiled down at her gently. "Mr Skellington did see the affection that Miss Sally held for him."

It took Abbie a minute - he was still talking about the movie - and then she sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "Uh huh. Took him long enough." She still couldn't get over that he had just let her use him as a pillow without trying to wake her up. "It takes guys for _ever_ sometimes."

Ichabod shrugged slightly. "I don't know. Had he courted Miss Sally before he tried to celebrate Christmas, perhaps he would not have realized just how very important she was to him."

Abbie glanced through her fingers, letting her hands fall heavily into his lap. "You're debating a skeleton and a rag doll's romance with me?"

"I prefer it over the attentions that Miss Scarlet receives from Mr. Lane in this book I found on your table." Ichabod raised an eyebrow.

Abbie snatched the book from him. " _Thank_ you."

Ichabod was smiling slightly when she met his gaze again. "You fell asleep," he pointed out shortly. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"You should have. Now I'm too tired to drive... You wanna crash here tonight?" Abbie stood up and stretched, wincing from the inevitable crick.

"Pardon?"

"Guest room. Make yourself at home." She pointed down the hall. "I'm across the hall if you need me, have a shower or whatever if you want. Just don't burn my house down while I'm sleeping."

Ichabod stood up quickly. "I couldn't possibly-"

"Please." Abbie held up her hands. "It's dark out, you don't need to be walking all the way back to your place. Just camp out here."

Ichabod's fingers clenched into fists and released. "... Alright." He sat back down on the sofa, back straight. "Perhaps I will simply continue reading."

Abbie shook her head. "Don't get any ideas, Crane. Don't want to scar Katrina when you and her finally get your reunion sex."

Ichabod dropped the book. "Miss Mills!" he spluttered. Now he was the one who was turning pink.

"Cute," Abbie said. "Night, Crane."

"... Goodnight, Lieutenant," Ichabod said softly, picking up the book.

"Get some sleep. Second door on the right. Don't walk into my bedroom by accident," she teased, and then headed down the hallway.

She found him on the sofa in the morning, sprawled out across it and snoring lightly. The only difference was there was a sticky note now, stuck on the romance novel on the table.

_Dear Miss Mills,_

_I prefer Mr. Skellington and Miss Sally. They are far less... dominant with one another._

_Respectfully yours,_   
_Ichabod Crane_

Abbie laughed and went to make coffee.

 


End file.
